“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life".
John 3:16

Monday, June 2, 2008

Jeremiah, In Prision, Refuses to Change His Message

Jeremiah Is Thrown into a Well

Jeremiah 38

1Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son ofShelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all thepeople. He said: 2“This is what the LORD says: ‘Everyone who stays inJerusalem will die from war, or hunger, or terrible diseases. But everyone whosurrenders to the Babylonian army will live; they will escape with their lives andlive.’ 3And this is what the LORD says: ‘This city of Jerusalem will surely behanded over to the army of the king of Babylon. He will capture this city!’”

4Then the officers said to the king, “Jeremiah must be put to death! He isdiscouraging the soldiers who are still in the city, and all the people, by what heis saying to them. He does not want good to happen to us; he wants to ruin us.”

5King Zedekiah said to them, “Jeremiah is in your control. I cannot doanything to stop you.”

6So the officers took Jeremiah and put him into the well of Malkijah, theking’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guards. The officers used ropes tolower Jeremiah into the well, which did not have any water in it, only mud. AndJeremiah sank down into the mud.

7But Ebed-Melech, a Cushite and a servant in the palace, heard that theofficers had put Jeremiah into the well. As King Zedekiah was sitting at theBenjamin Gate, 8Ebed-Melech left the palace and went to the king. Ebed-Melechsaid to him, 9“My master and king, these rulers have acted in an evil way. Theyhave treated Jeremiah the prophet badly. They have thrown him into a well andleft him there to die! When there is no more bread in the city, he will starve todeath.”

10Then King Zedekiah commanded Ebed-Melech the Cushite, “Take thirtymen from the palace and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the well before he dies.”

11So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went to a room under thestoreroom in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from thatroom. Then he let those rags down with some ropes to Jeremiah in the well.12Ebed-Melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-outclothes under your arms to be pads for the ropes.” So Jeremiah did as Ebed-Melech said. 13The men pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out ofthe well. And Jeremiah stayed under guard in the courtyard of the guard.

Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah

14Then King Zedekiah sent someone to get Jeremiah the prophet and bringhim to the third entrance to the Temple of the LORD. The king said to Jeremiah,“I am going to ask you something. Do not hide anything from me, but tell meeverything honestly.”

15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, you will surely kill me.And even if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”

16But King Zedekiah made a secret promise to Jeremiah, “As surely as theLORD lives who has given us breath and life, I will not kill you. And I promisenot to hand you over to the officers who want to kill you.”

17Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the LORD God All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king ofBabylon, your life will be saved. Jerusalem will not be burned down, and youand your family will live. 18But if you refuse to surrender to the officers of theking of Babylon, Jerusalem will be handed over to the Babylonian army, andthey will burn it down. And you yourself will not escape from them.’”

19Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I’m afraid of some Jews who havealready gone over to the side of the Babylonian army. If the Babylonians handme over to them, they will treat me badly.”

20But Jeremiah answered, “The Babylonians will not hand you over to theJews. Obey the LORD by doing what I tell you. Then things will go well for you,and your life will be saved. 21But if you refuse to surrender to the Babylonians,the LORD has shown me what will happen. 22All the women left in the palace ofthe king of Judah will be brought out and taken to the important officers of theking of Babylon. Your women will make fun of you with this song:

‘Your good friends misled you

and were stronger than you.

While your feet were stuck in the mud,

they left you.’

23“All your wives and children will be brought out and given to theBabylonian army. You yourself will not even escape from them. You will betaken prisoner by the king of Babylon, and Jerusalem will be burned down.”

24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not tell anyone that I have beentalking to you, or you will die. 25If the officers find out I talked to you, they willcome to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to King Zedekiah and what he saidto you. Don’t keep any secrets from us. If you don’t tell us everything, we willkill you.’ 26If they ask you, tell them, ‘I was begging the king not to send meback to Jonathan’s house to die.’”

27All the officers did come to question Jeremiah. So he told them everythingthe king had ordered him to say. Then the officers said no more to Jeremiah,because no one had heard what Jeremiah and the king had discussed.

28So Jeremiah stayed under guard in the courtyard of the guard until the dayJerusalem was captured.

1. The head of a clan of the tribe of Manasseh in East Jordan (1 Chron. 5:24).2. Three soldiers of David’s army at Ziklag (1 Chron. 12:4, 10, 13). 3. The father-in-law of King Josiah of Judah (640-609 B.C.) and grandfather of the KingsJehoahaz [609 B.C.] (2 Kings 23:31) and Zedekiah (597-586 B.C.) (2 Kings24:18; Jer. 52:1). 4. A representative of the sect of the Rechabites (Jer. 35:3). 5.Three priests or heads of priestly families in the times of Zerubbabel about 537B.C. (Neh. 12:1, 12) and Nehemiah about 455 B.C. (Neh. 10:2; 12:34).

Other persons by the name of Jeremiah are referred to in Hebrew inscriptionsfrom Lachish and Arad about 700 B.C. and in a number of ancient Jewish seals.The Bible has a short form of the name seventeen times and a long form 121times. Both forms are applied to the prophet. Inscriptions use the longer form.

6.Jeremiah, the prophet The Bible tells us more about personal experiencesof Jeremiah than of any other prophet. We read that his father’s name wasHilkiah, a priest from Anathoth (Jer. 1:1). He was called to be a prophet in thethirteenth year of King Josiah (627/6 B.C.) (Jer. 1:2). He was active under theKings Jehoahaz-Shallum (609 B.C.) (22:11), Jehoiakim (609-587 B.C.) (Jer. 1:3;22:18; 26:1; 35:1; 36:1, 9), Jehoiachin/Jeconiah/Coniah (597 B.C.) (22:24; 24:1;27:20; 28:3; 29:2; 37:1), and Zedekiah (597-586 B.C.) (1:3; 21:1; 27:1-12; 28:1;32:1; 34:2; 37-38; 39:4; 52:7). When Jerusalem was destroyed by theBabylonians in 587 B.C., Jeremiah moved to Mizpah, the capital of Gedaliah, thenewly appointed Jewish governor of the Babylonian province of Judah (40:5).When Gedaliah was assassinated (41:1), Jeremiah was deported to Egypt againsthis will by Jewish officers who had survived the catastrophes (42:1-43:7). InEgypt he continued to preach oracles against the Egyptians (43:8-13) and againsthis compatriots (44:1-30).

Jeremiah is depicted as living in constant friction with the authorities of hispeople, religious (priests 20:1-6; prophets 28:1; or both 26:1), political (Kings ch.21-22; 36-38), or all of them together (1:18-19; 2:26; 8:1), including Jewishleaders after the Babylonian invasion (42:1-43:13). Still his preachingemphasized a high respect for prophets whose warning words could have savedthe people if they had listened (7:25; 26:4; 29:17-19; 35:13). He trusted in thepromise of ideal future kings (23:5; 33:14-17). He recommended nationalsurrender to the rule of the Babylonian Empire and called Nebuchadnezzar,Babylon’s emperor and Judah’s most hated enemy, the “servant of the Lord”(25:9; 27:6). He even incited his compatriots to desert to the enemy (21:8). Hewas accused of treason and convicted (37:11; 38:1-6), and yet the mostaggressive oracles against Babylon are attributed to him (50-51). Enemieschallenged his prophetic honesty and the inspiration of his message (43:1-3;28:1; 29:24), and yet kings and nobles sought his advice (21:1; 37:3; 38:14;42:1).

He constantly proclaimed God’s judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem, and yethe was also a prophet of hope, proclaiming oracles of salvation, conditioned(3:22-4:2) or unconditioned (30-31; 32:36; 33:6; 34:4). God forbade him tointercede for his people (7:16; 11:14; 14:11; compare 15:1); yet he interceded(14:7-9, 19-22). God ordered him to live without marriage and family (16:2). Hehad to stay away from the company of merrymakers (15:17) and from houses offeasting (16:8). He complained to and argued with God (12:1-17), complainingabout the misery of his office (20:7-18). At the same time he sang hymns ofpraise to his God (20:13).

Jeremiah’s call came in the thirteenth year of King Josiah, about 627/6 B.C.(1:2; 25:3; compare 36:2). Josiah remains however, the only Jewish kingcontemporary with Jeremiah to and about whom no word is spoken in the wholebook. No concrete reference appears to any of the dramatic changes of nationalliberation and religious reformation within the last eighteen years of Josiah’sreign (2 Kings 22:1-23:30). The words of the call narrative: “Before I formed youin the womb I knew you ... I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (1:5NIV), may suggest that the date of Jeremiah’s call and birth is one and the same.In this case his prophetic activity must have begun many years later, but againwith uncertain date.

Welcome to my Blog

ABCs of Salvation

A. Admit you are a sinner. "There is no one righteous, not even one ... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:10,23. (See Romans 5:8; 6:23.)

Ask God's forgiveness. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13

B. Believe in Jesus (put your trust in Him) as your only hope of salvation. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (See John 14:6.)

Become a child of God by receiving Christ."To all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12 (See Revelation 3:20.)

C. Confess that Jesus is your Lord."If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9 (See verse 10.)

Parables of Jesus

A Parable is…

An earthly story with a heavenly purpose, a story or illustration set in everyday life that illustrates a profound moral or spiritual truth. Many of the parables were told in order to make truth clearer, but there were times when Jesus used them for the exact opposite reason – to mask the truth from the spiritual prideful.